A two-year-old Ecuadorian girl was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody alongside her father during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis and flown to Texas.
This happened despite a court order requiring her immediate release, according to the family’s attorney.
The child was returned to her mother the following day, while her father remains detained.
The incident occurred on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, after federal agents pursued the vehicle of the child’s father, Elvis Tipan-Echeverria, during what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as a “targeted enforcement operation.”
The father and toddler were initially held at the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, a site that has recently drawn protests following other controversial immigration arrests.
The child, identified in court documents as C.R.T.V., is an Ecuadorian citizen who has lived in Minneapolis since arriving in the United States as a newborn. She has a pending asylum application, according to filings submitted by the family’s legal team.
Conflicting Accounts of the Arrest
DHS claimed Tipan-Echeverria was driving erratically and refused lawful commands to exit his vehicle. However, the family’s attorney, Kira Kelley, disputes the agency’s account, stating that ICE agents entered the family’s backyard and driveway without a warrant and broke a car window while the toddler was still inside the vehicle.
Court documents further allege that ICE prevented the child’s mother from taking custody at the scene, despite DHS assertions that the mother refused to accept the child. The affidavit filed by the family says the mother was nearby but retreated inside the home out of fear as armed agents approached.
Video footage from the arrest shows masked federal agents surrounded by protesters, with chemical agents reportedly deployed to disperse the crowd. DHS said approximately 120 people blocked agents from leaving the scene and that crowd-control measures were used to protect officers and the child.
Child Flown to Texas Despite Court Order
Later that evening, a judge granted an emergency petition ordering the child’s immediate release, citing an “overwhelming” risk of irreparable harm. The order was issued at 8:11 p.m. Thursday, directing that the child not be removed from Minnesota.
Despite this, the toddler and her father were placed on a commercial flight to Texas by approximately 8:30 p.m., according to the family’s attorney, who said she was informed of the removal by DHS counsel. The child was returned to Minnesota on Friday afternoon and reunited with her mother.
“The child is out of detention as of this afternoon and recovering from this horrific ordeal,” Kelley said. A separate federal court order now bars ICE from transferring the father outside Minnesota while legal proceedings continue.
Broader Immigration Fallout
The case has intensified scrutiny of ICE’s treatment of children amid an ongoing immigration crackdown in Minnesota. It follows public outrage over the detention of another young child earlier this week, raising renewed questions about due process, family separation, and compliance with court orders during enforcement actions.
DHS has said it is reviewing aspects of the incident. CNN and other media outlets have sought further clarification from the agency regarding the alleged warrantless entry and the decision to transport the child despite the court ruling.
